These Five Minutes
by Sorceress Fantasia
Summary: 3 years after the series, everyone has settled down and adjusted to their new lives. This year, it seems that everyone’s getting some except Yugi. After all, it is kinda hard to make out when his boyfriend is away on Valentine’s Day. YYxY


Title: These Five Minutes  
Author: Sorceress Fantasia  
Pairings: YY/Y, mentions of K/J, B/R and A/O  
Warnings: Sap, fluff  
Archive: Finally Fantasia  
Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO or any of its characters.

Intro: Three years after the series, everyone has settled down and adjusted to their new lives. This year, it seems that everyone's getting some except our favourite little hikari. After all, it is kinda hard to make out when his boyfriend is away on Valentine's Day.

Note: Let's pretend that V-day fell on the weekend instead of Tuesday this year, k?

* * *

It was depressing. No, scratch that. It was so friggin depressing, when he had to spend the majority of Valentine's Day alone and it wasn't like he did not have a lover!

Yugi stared angrily at the calendar that had happily announced the day's arrival, the date circled with a bright red marker. He swore, when he had circled the damned date, he had no idea that his lover would not be with him on the day. And to think Yugi had almost gone out of his way to prepare a passionate Valentine's Day night! In fact, he had already scoured the city for the freshest strawberries and cheapest (but still good) whipped cream. Not to mention the leather handcuffs with velvet lining that the store employee had highly recommended with both thumbs up and a dreamy look. Not one couple, she said, had complained about the product. As a matter of fact, one of the couples (whom she had described looked a lot of Kaiba Seto pretending /not/ to be Kaiba Seto, and a blonde teenager handing on his arms) were so satisfied with the product that they returned to the shop and purchased another handcuff, plus a cute little puppy costume.

Yugi was not going to comment on who the couple was, but he inwardly pitied Mokuba. Even at fifteen, he was too innocent to get a sex education right in his house.

And he had heard from Ryou's neighbour, whom Yugi had gotten to know quite well over the years after Bakura and Ryou got together, the couple was rapidly wearing a hole in his wall, what with all the banging of their headboard against the wall their apartment shared with the neighbour. The poor guy was weeping over the phone just this morning, telling Yugi how the two had been going like rabbits in heat since the clock chimed 12 in the morning, the start of the fourteenth of February. He corrected himself a second later, saying that rabbits would die of exhaustion if they went like Bakura and Ryou.

Yugi choked, and tried his best to ignore his astonishment so he could console the poor neighbour.

Then, he had gotten a surprise phone call from Anzu, who was in America pursuing a career in dancing. She had first of all, wished him a 'Happy Valentine's Day', and then gone on about how she and Otogi were trying out how it was like to live together. When Anzu left for America, no one had expected her to get together with Otogi, who was there promoting his 'Dungeon Dice Monsters'. But they started dating a couple months after meeting up, and now, three years later, they were attempting co-habitation. Apparently, Otogi had gone down on his knees and proposed in the middle of a street, but they eventually decided to get engaged first instead of plunging right into marriage.

Yugi thought it was the sweetest thing ever, except that it was a painful reminder that all his friends were getting some. And he wasn't.

As he sighed and went about doing his school assignment (no doubt assigned by stupid lecturers who had no valentines themselves), Yugi had to admit that it was all his fault. Really.

Just a few weeks ago, Atemu had gotten an invitation for a prestigious Duel Monsters tournament in Europe, one that he had always wanted to go but never had the time for due to school commitments. However, now that Atemu had graduated from high school and had chosen not to carry on with his education, he had all the time in the world to travel to Europe. Money wasn't a problem, since Atemu was the first seed of the competition and so the organizers was willing to provide him with a fully-paid trip. The only problem was that if he went, he wouldn't make it back in time for Valentine's Day. It would be lucky if he got back before the day ended, but even if he did, most of the day would have passed by then.

He had wanted to turn down the offer, knowing how much Yugi had been looking to spending a nice quiet Valentine's Day together. But Yugi, being a stubborn little idiot that day, practically forced his lover to accept the offer. After all, Atemu had always wanted to go for the tournament, and they could celebrate their love a day later. So he had tearfully and yet happily sent Atemu off at the airport, something he was seriously regretting at the moment.

It was so friggin depressing to spend Valentine's Day alone. In fact, it was downright S.A.D. Singles Awareness Day, never mind the fact that he was just alone, not single.

As the computer started up, Yugi pulled a few reference books onto the desk. He had a paper to finish, and no time was the better. But before he could open up his document, he heard a familiar sound, signaling that he had a message on his chat program. He clicked on it, smiling when he noticed it was his lover.

"Hey love," it read.

Maybe it was a little silly, but there was no denying the gush of happiness Yugi felt every time Atemu called him that. He still found it amazing that out of so many wonderful people in the entire universe, the regal and nearly perfect man had chosen to fall in love with him, little Yugi who had once been a bully magnet. Hell, magnet was an understatement. He had been a friggin black hole. But Atemu had still fallen in love with him, and Yugi would never forget the crestfallen and astonished looks on their schoolmate's faces when they finally announced that they were a couple.

"Hey Atemu," he quickly typed.

"I'm at the airport right now, using one of the computers. Looks like there's some technical problem with my flight, so it's been delayed. Sorry love."

Yugi's hands paused in their typing. He had been in the middle of typing an endearment of sorts, but it was never going to be sent out. Instead, Yugi typed, "What in the world? How can they do that?"

"Well, they own the plane…"

"Not funny, Atemu. We won't be able to spend even five minutes of Valentine's Day together!"

"I know. Sorry, love. I'll make up to you when I get back."

Yugi was tempted to release a slew of colourful curses that would probably make Jou and Honda's best attempt pale in comparison, but it would just be a waste of time. It wasn't as though doing so would make Atemu magically appear right in front of him. There was no more shadow magic in the world now, after Atemu and Bakura had refused to return to the land of the dead, all those years ago. And if he cursed, it would only make Atemu even guiltier. No point making his lover upset after winning a prestigious tournament and bagging the pretty trophy.

Resigned, he typed, "Yeah, I guess…"

He was vaguely amused when Atemu replied, saying that he if it would make Yugi feel even minutely better, he was going to hijack another plane and force the pilot to fly to Japan immediately. That, or he could shake the plane technicians senseless and make them work harder to fix the problems quicker.

"Don't be crazy, Atemu! I think it's time you check your head." Yugi added a grinning smiley at the end of his sentence, just in case.

"/Scanning head for defects... Please wait. This could take a few minutes. Please wait while scans proceed.  
SCAN COMPLETE!  
VIRUS DETECTED!  
Virus information:  
Name: Yugi virus  
Symptoms: Misses Yugi lots, thinks about him all day long, especially when alone.  
Cures: Lots of love and tender care from Yugi."

Yugi laughed. "Oh, I'll make sure you get lots of love and care from me when you get back, Atemu."

"Looking forward to it! Gotta go now. There's a whole line of people behind me waiting to use the computer. Bye, love. I'll be back before you know it."

"Bye! I'll be waiting at home with the strawberries and whipped cream!"

And Atemu logged off, but not before sending one last lustful smiley. How he had managed to get hold of such a smiley, Yugi had no idea.

* * *

It was a lot easier to pretend he was not upset while chatting online. But once Yugi had finished his paper, turned off the computer, taken a long shower, eaten an equally long and lonely lunch and then dinner, he discovered that it was impossible to hide his misery. Not when the radio deejays were gleefully wishing every couple a 'Happy Valentine's Day' (those people ought to be sued for discrimination; never did they once mention those who were single, never mind the fact that Yugi wasn't single. He just felt that way.), playing cheesy love songs and equally cheesy love song dedications, and when the television was airing romance flick marathons.

Yugi could just see the happy lovey dovey hearts floating around in the air, and he rolled his eyes.

Valentine's Day was such a sad day for people who were alone.

The bright side of it was that the day was going to be over in… -he peered at the clock- five minutes. Suddenly feeling vindictive and having nothing better to do, Yugi sat down on the sofa and stared down at the innocent clock sitting on the table. If the clock had a life of its own, it would surely be shaking from an unexplainable chill, the type that one got when one was being stared at with malicious intent. After all, Yugi was acting like it was the clock's fault that he had to spend Valentine's Day alone. Maybe it was because of the glare, the clock seemed to be ticking away especially fast all of a sudden.

Four minutes.

Three minutes.

Two minutes.

One minute.

Twelve midnight, and Valentine's Day was over. 15th February, and definitely a happier day, simply because Atemu would be returning today. With that thought in mind, Yugi felt immensely better and started to head up for a good night's sleep. He would have to be at full energy in the morning if Atemu decided to make good on his promise. The strawberries were still pretty fresh, after all.

Just when he was turning off the lights and ready to head upstairs to his bedroom, he heard the doorbell ring and someone yelled, "Special delivery for Mutou Yugi!"

That voice!

Yugi rushed to the door, stumbling and nearly falling over several times, but he took no note of that. Instead, his mind was trying to come up with a reason why there was someone at his door, with that voice!

And he wasn't disappointed when he opened the door.

His crimson-eyed lover was standing right there, winking and grinning. Decked out in woolen sweaters and a black leather jacket in the cold winter night, Atemu looked exceptionally exuberant even after a long flight from Europe. His hand-knitted scarf, a Christmas present from Yugi the year before, was tucked into the buttoned-up jacket.

"Hey love."

Yugi was surprised that his voice did not crack from the multitude of emotions he was feeling when he replied, "Hey yourself."

Atemu continued grinning, and was still doing so when he adjusted his collar for more warmth. "I know you're probably angry with me, but could you find it in your heart to let me into the house first before screaming at me? It's kinda cold out here," he said teasingly, knowing full well that the only reason why he was still outside was because his little lover was too shocked by his sudden appearance.

As he expected, Yugi gasped and seemed to come back to himself, before quickly ushering him inside and fussing over him. It seemed that Yugi was making good on his promise earlier about giving Atemu lots of love and care. There was hot tea on the table within minutes, a warm towel to clean his face, and a little massage for his stiff shoulders. He sighed contentedly, explaining how he managed to return so quickly like he did.

"So I guess we should thank Kaiba for jetting you back here, huh? It's always nice to know a rich man like him." Yugi snickered.

"Not exactly. It's always nice to know a rich man's younger brother. You have no idea how good Mokuba is at guilt-tripping Kaiba."

They both laughed.

"But you were still late by fifteen minutes," Yugi said offhandedly, but it was not difficult to hear the underlying sadness in that sentence. "And it's almost twelve forty-five now."

"That can be fixed quite easily," Atemu replied, bending into his luggage and digging inside. It took a while, for Atemu was never the type who packed his stuff neatly, but he eventually found what he wanted and sat back up straight.

Yugi took a look. It was a finely wrapped present, its wrapping paper shimmering faintly under the harsh fluorescent light. But there was no time to admire the finer workings of how the present had been wrapped, for Atemu chose that moment to speak.

"Open them."

The younger one did as he was told, meticulously tearing off the tape and taking care to not ruin the beautiful wrapping paper. If it was possible, he wanted to keep everything Atemu gave him, wrapping paper included. It was a slow process to unwrap the present as a result, but it gave Yugi the time to think. Just what was inside the box?

The wrapping paper finally came off, and Yugi blinked.

It was a pair of watches with leather straps that resembled the handcuffs he always wore, probably chosen so Yugi could wear it anytime and not have it clashing with his taste in clothes. The watches' faces were lined in silver, and the faces themselves were a clean white. It was a stunning piece of work.

Yugi could have gone on and continued to admire the presents, but Atemu gently took them into his hands. Without a word, he began winding the watches. When he handed one of them back to Yugi, Yugi could see that it was eleven fifty-five, 14th February.

He gazed unsurely into his lover's face.

"These five minutes… belongs to us. It's still Valentine's Day for us," Atemu whispered tenderly, leaning in.

Then, understanding dawned on Yugi. He smiled, setting a hand on the watch he now wore.

"Yeah, these five minutes belongs to us. Happy Valentine's Day, Atemu."

"Happy Valentine's Day, love."

They kissed for a long while. Somewhere behind them, a clock struck one, but they paid no notice to it. Instead, they continued kissing. Their five minutes weren't up yet.

-owari-

* * *

A/N: It's been pretty long since I posted a new YGO fic, hasn't it? Anyway, just wishing everyone a Happy V-day! And if you're single, be glad you're single. Know that you're always there when you need yourself. /grins/


End file.
